The propaghanda in war time is crazy. They have people like Wolf Blitzer sounding like fools, talking about "decapitation", operation "shock and awe" and so forth.

They played Sadaam's speech deal last night, and it was this big thing about how there were these foriegn terrorists, war criminals and how god would protect them...and call me crazy, but that stuff sounds vaguely familiar.

Also, this war coverage is serioously confusing and wack.

What's your favorite piece of wartime propaganda?

And what's this called, operation free Iraq or something like that? They've been planning this war for long enough now you'd think they'd have something a little catchier for the media graphics.

I need to stop watching this stuff.

Thu Mar 20, 2003 4:07 pm

imatopos

Joined: 09 Jul 2002
Posts: 91

Propagnda

My favorite piece concerns how we are now being made to believe that the US is not going it (practically) alone. Ari Fleischer is going on and on about the "coalition forces" and their role in this war, and the media picked it up and ran with it. I've heard "coalition forces" at least 2,000 times today. Why are they scrambling to make this look like a coalition? I thought we weren't afraid to go it alone, to use dubya's words.

Thu Mar 20, 2003 6:55 pm

Succintroundabout

Joined: 30 Jan 2003
Posts: 130
Location: Saskatoon, Canada

Re: Propagnda

imatopos wrote: My favorite piece concerns how we are now being made to believe that the US is not going it (practically) alone. Ari Fleischer is going on and on about the "coalition forces" and their role in this war, and the media picked it up and ran with it. I've heard "coalition forces" at least 2,000 times today. Why are they scrambling to make this look like a coalition? I thought we weren't afraid to go it alone, to use dubya's words.

Well maybe because English, American and Australian forces will be involved. And Bush has the solid backing of about 40 nations including Italy, Spain, Turkey, Kuwait, Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal, England, Australia, Poland, Romania, Japan, and so on...

It is a "coalition of the willing."

Thu Mar 20, 2003 7:02 pm

imatopos

Joined: 09 Jul 2002
Posts: 91

Backing and Force

Succinct--yeah, I'm aware that other nations are *backing* the effort (many of them receiving plenty of $ for doing so); but how many of them are commiting troops to this "coalitional force"? At present, it's three, and there are only a very small handful of Brits and Australians. The war is led and driven by the US--you know it, I know it. Let's not make it look like the world has our back when you know full well they don't . . .

Thu Mar 20, 2003 7:09 pm

Succintroundabout

Joined: 30 Jan 2003
Posts: 130
Location: Saskatoon, Canada

Re: Backing and Force

imatopos wrote: Succinct--yeah, I'm aware that other nations are *backing* the effort (many of them receiving plenty of $ for doing so); but how many of them are commiting troops to this "coalitional force"? At present, it's three, and there are only a very small handful of Brits and Australians. The war is led and driven by the US--you know it, I know it. Let's not make it look like the world has our back when you know full well they don't . . .

That may tell us something about the rest of the world... Seriously, the United States are only giving money to Turkey, and the English and Americans are virtually the only Western nations that can even project power anymore. There is nothing wrong with the US going against world opinion; you may find "opinion" to be very fickle.

Thu Mar 20, 2003 7:21 pm

imatopos

Joined: 09 Jul 2002
Posts: 91

OK

So, we're in agreement--the US is acting largely against world opinion and without troop support from other nations. And the media, led by Ari and co., would have us believe that the situation is otherwise. That does seem to be a textbook definition of propoaganda. Now, whether or not the US ought to go against world opinion in this particular situation is another question for another thread . . .

Thu Mar 20, 2003 7:28 pm

futuristxen

Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 19377
Location: Tighten Your Bible Belt

I would not be suprised if as victory looks more and more certain that that number bumps up significantly. All of these countries that are "helping" us, are more or less just wanting to end up on the winning side. Spain sent 900 troops, but they are non-combat, as are the japanese(who will support anything we do so long as we get their backs against N. Korea, China ect...)

It's still basically UK and US troops doing the work. I think there maybe like 1000 australian special forces people. But that's not much out of the 300,000 total.

I just like how they are building up this "shock and awe"...the whole, you will know when "Shock and Awe" starts. Everytime they say that I feel like they are expecting the Iraqis to be like crazy third world tribesman who have never been bombed before.

I also think the whole questiosn of whether or not that was sadaam or not on the video was given way too much coverage for the amount of information given.

I don't know, it seems like the language we are using to describe this war is very cracked out. Shit like "the troops are at the tip of the spear"...it's crazy. Who is writing this stuff? And are they high?

Also, a lot of these countries that are supporting us are doing so without the support of their own people.

Last edited by futuristxen on Thu Mar 20, 2003 7:32 pm; edited 1 time in total

Thu Mar 20, 2003 7:30 pm

BKGSP

Joined: 09 Jul 2002
Posts: 2354

ive been telling everybody that watching too much of this stupid war coverage is not good for ya....itll brainwash you.....put catch phrases in ya head like the ones mentioned above....not to seem cliche but watching it too much will make it seem more "like a movie"...like 9/11

watch tourney games instead.....i picked gonzaga right.....and creighton is losing right now...too bad southern illinois lost by only one damn pt to missouri

Thu Mar 20, 2003 7:32 pm

Nope

Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 1916

dude...they're selling the war to the american people

what else do you expect them to do...I had not watched cnn for awhile until this morning...then I saw this ex-general "expert" talk about how Iraq MAY have possession of this "weapon of mass destruction" and they MAY have possession of this other one....bleh

"Perhaps" "reports" "May" "It is believed" whatever

I couldn't watch anymore...

Thu Mar 20, 2003 7:34 pm

Nope

Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 1916

one more thing I caught on cnn this morning

this ex general expert or whatever

he admitted that "intelligence" is simply just guess work

glad to see that at least someone is upfront enough to come out and say that we're bombing people based on guesses

burn oil, burn

Thu Mar 20, 2003 7:56 pm

Petrouchka Rasputin

Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 852

Practically all information is propaganda, as the people divulging it would not do so if they hadn't some stake in its dispensation. I would hope most people have some ability for something approaching objective thought, and can realize spin-doctoring when they see it.

That said, I wonder how many people comprehend that "shock and awe" likely means "we are going to bomb baghdad into the fucking ground until the Iraqis plead for mercy and agree to all of our demands so that we will stop bombing them into the fucking ground."

Thu Mar 20, 2003 8:34 pm

Jesse

Joined: 02 Jul 2002
Posts: 6165
Location: privileged homeless

Shock and Awe is quite simply and literally a terrorist concept. I say that without stretching either term in the slightest. To use reams of unholy death to scare the fuck out of people so that they will capitulate to your political demands... it just IS terrorism.